KUALA LUMPUR – The proposal to establish Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) pay schools for well-to-do groups will not involve any government allocations, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, said this “futuristic plan” by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) would use a private-financing initiative (PFI) and funding through collaboration with financial institutions.
He also assured that the fee-paying schools would not be built on land reserved for projects meant to benefit the poor.
“We will cooperate with several parties, using smart partnerships for its construction,” he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to a supplementary question from Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar-PH) on whether the government would utilise Mara land reserved for the poor and B40 to cater for the schooling of T20 and M40 children.
According to Zahid, the fee-paying MRSMs can be implemented based on the model of SM Imtiaz Ulul Albab Melaka.
“Based on my personal experience, I have set up SM Imtiaz Ulul Albab without a single sen of allocation from the government. I have done it and the school has been operating for 11 years,” he added.
Zahid said the proposal to set up MRSM pay schools was in response to the overwhelming demand for entry into the boarding schools, which received applications numbering 300% of its capacity.
“We have conducted a feasibility study and found that many students are eligible to enter MRSMs based on academic qualifications – but do not qualify in terms of their parents’ income brackets, especially those in the T20 and M40 groups.
“One condition (for MRSM admission) is giving priority to the B40 group,” he said, adding that there were also too many requests from alumni who wanted to enrol their children in the institutions.
He said Mara would provide the widest opportunity possible for children of these groups to enter MRSM, without compromising on quality and academic requirements.
On complaints raised by Syed Saddiq regarding hidden costs at MRSMs, such as to buy clothes for certain programmes, Zahid said he would meet with MRSM parent-teacher association chairmen to find ways to free B40 children from this burden. – Bernama, March 23, 2023
